Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, late Monday evening, took a swipe at Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy over his football skills after a video of the latter playing alongside football legend Lionel Messi surfaced online.
Sharing the clip on microblogging site X, Rijiju jokingly remarked that Reddy had missed a “golden chance” to play properly with the World Cup-winning star.
“It’s totally messed up!! CM Revanth Reddy ji got a golden chance to play with the GOAT but he couldn’t even give a simple pass to #Messi. He kicked far left & right to make Messi run around,” Rijiju wrote, adding a laughing emoji.
In the clip, the Telangana CM can be seen kicking the ball erratically left and right while Messi runs to retrieve it.
Former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh also joined the fun, jokingly commenting that Reddy “might’ve been asked to take revenge for the Kolkata mess,” referring to the chaotic first stop of Messi’s India tour. Social media users chimed in with humorous takes, with one quipping, “Pressure of playing with the GOAT is real. Even simple passes feel legendary when Messi’s on the pitch!”
The Hyderabad appearance, held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, was the second stop of Messi’s four-city tour, which also included Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi.
Unlike the Kolkata leg, which ended in fan frustration due to alleged VIP interference, the Hyderabad event was a smooth celebration of the football legend. Messi participated in a 7-on-7 exhibition match with Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, exchanging passes and enjoying the enthusiastic response from the crowd. He also met Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
Following Hyderabad, Messi’s GOAT India Tour concluded with stops in Mumbai, Delhi and Jamnagar.
In Delhi, he played in a celebrity football match at Arun Jaitley Stadium with Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul and engaged with young aspiring footballers. The Delhi finale also featured a stage ceremony attended by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, ICC Chairman Jay Shah, and former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia, where Messi was presented with specially curated Indian cricket jerseys and a commemorative cricket bat signed by legendary Indian cricketers.
In Mumbai, Messi met football star Sunil Chhetri and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar at Wankhede Stadium. His final stop in Jamnagar included a visit to Vantara, the wildlife rescue and conservation centre, hosted by Anant Ambani.
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